NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON ERGONOMICS
PLANS FIRST MEETING IN WASHINGTON THIS MONTH

WASHINGTON -- The National Advisory Committee on Ergonomics (NACE) will hold its inaugural meeting in Washington, D.C., January 22, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced today. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced the selection of the 15-member committee last month.

The committee will meet at the Washington Court Hotel, 525 New Jersey Avenue, NW in Washington, beginning at 9 a.m. The public is invited to attend. Details on NACE and its first meeting is in the Jan. 7, 2003, Federal Register.

"Our comprehensive plan for reducing ergonomic-related injuries in the workplace will succeed based on numerous factors, one of which is the advice and counsel we'll receive from the experts on our advisory committee," said OSHA Administrator John Henshaw. "We look forward to the first meeting and the discussions to follow as we work to drive down injuries and illnesses related to ergonomics in the workplace."

Along with an introduction of Committee members and an overview and brief history of the agency's activities related to ergonomics, the agenda includes discussions on information related to industry- or task-specific guidelines; identifying gaps in existing research on ergonomics in the workplace; research needs and efforts; outreach and assistance methods to communicate the value of ergonomics; and increasing communication among stakeholders.

NACE is chartered initially for two years and is expected to meet two to four times annually to advise the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health on issues related to OSHA's four-pronged approach to reducing ergonomic-related injuries in the workplace-guidelines, research, outreach and assistance, and enforcement.

Committee members come from industry, academia, labor, legal and the medical professions and include two professors of medicine, an attorney, consultants specializing in occupational health, management directors, a professor of industrial engineering, safety and health specialists, a construction firm CEO, an associate professor in public health, and a registered nurse with joint faculty appointments in colleges of nursing and public health.

OSHA announced last April the agency's strategy to reduce ergonomic injuries. Since then, three industries-nursing homes, retail grocery stories, and poultry processing-have stepped forward to work with the agency to create the first sets of guidelines.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is dedicated to saving lives, preventing injuries and illnesses, and protecting America's workers. Safety and health add value to business, the workplace and life. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

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NOTICE: This is an OSHA Archive Document, and may no longer represent OSHA Policy. It is presented here as historical content, for research and review purposes only.

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